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Announcement

Intent of Exclusion Criteria for HHCAHPS sampling
folder_openChanges to Protocols and Guidelinescalendar_todayPosted April 27, 2010

It has come to our attention that some home health agencies are interpreting the sampling exclusion shown on Page 23 of the Protocols and Guidelines Manual, Version 2.0 (see the excerpt shown in the box below) to mean that they should ask their patients if they want to be included in the Home Health Care CAHPS Survey (or permission for the HHA to release their names on the monthly patient information files).

HHAs should exclude from the files submitted to survey vendors only the following types of patients:

  • Patients who requested that the HHA not release their names to anyone outside the HHA.

This bullet is intended to protect the privacy of patients who are served by an agency and would like their identity protected from the public. These patients would have specifically asked the HHA not to release their identifying information to the media, to marketers (for marketing purposes) or to other entities for similar reasons. For example, a local news anchor or sports personality may request that the HHA not release their name to anyone outside of the agency.

CMS requests that HHAs do not ask their patients if they would like to be included in the survey. All patients selected to participate in the survey can decide after they receive the HHCAHPS Survey whether they wish to participate or not. Similarly, sampled patients included in HHCAHPS Survey being administered by telephone mode can tell the interviewer if they choose not to participate in the survey.

HHAs are asked to refrain from contacting their patients about the HHCAHPS Survey. In addition, as indicated in the Protocols and Guidelines Manual, Version 2.0, agency personnel should not offer to help their patients complete the HHCAHPS Survey or to influence their responses to the survey in any way.

HHAs’ help with this matter is greatly appreciated.